WFMZ
READING, Pa. – There was a different kind of energy in FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday night, as 16 Berks County organizations joined forces with the Reading Fightin Phils to celebrate recovery from substance abuse.
“It’s important to educate the community that recovery is possible, and it’s important to get the information out there, and de-stigmatize substance abuse disorders,” said Chris Axford, CEO, Berks Counseling Center.
Booths lined the park.
“You can get information about prevention, you can get information about treatment, you can get information about recovery,” said Michael Rivera, Berks County commissioner.
But the night is more than just education and treatment. It’s about celebrating recovery. Six hundred t-shirts were handed out, and 5,000 tickets were given out for the game.
“These tickets were given out to clients of different organizations represented here, they were given to the community at large and friends and family who work at the different organizations,” said Rivera. “We want to make sure we had the most amount of people here to share the message that recovery is possible.”
They also want to make sure people know it’s possible to get easy access to treatment.
“You can reach out, that’s the most important thing,” said Axford. “At Berks Counseling Center, we have same-day access, so you can call or walk in any time, any day, and someone will point you in the right direction.”
Making the night a grand slam for recovery.
Paloma Freundt Reporter
